Brennan sending star-studded contingent to Kentucky Derby

By Bill GiauqueColumnist

Published: Sunday, April 21, 2013 at 10:05 p.m.

Last Modified: Sunday, April 21, 2013 at 10:05 p.m.

Longtime fixture in the Ocala training and sales scene Niall Brennan appears to have three graduates of his program headed to the Kentucky Derby on May 4. A fourth graduate of his training operation, Den's Legacy, had been a prominent contender for the Derby since late last year. In the last couple of days, the Daily Racing Form removed him from its Top 20.

Topping the star-studded Brennan contingent is one of the most likely favorites: Florida Derby (gr. 1) winner Orb, owned by the historic partners Stuart S. Janney III and the Phipps Stable. These families have been responsible for such legendary horses as Ruffian and Bold Ruler.

Orb, a son of a son of leading stallion A. P. Indy, is second on both the Daily Racing Form and The Blood-Horse rankings.

Revolutionary, another Brennan graduate, tops The Blood-Horse list and is fourth on the Daily Racing Form top 20. A son of the now-deceased War Pass, Revolutionary made a spectacular run from the back of the field to win the Louisiana Derby (gr. 2), setting him up for his run for the roses. Revolutionary is owned by Winstar Farms, a major player in today's thoroughbred world.

Third among Brennan Derby products is Palace Malice. Sixth on Steve Haskin's Blood-Horse standings and 11th in the DRF, this son of Horse of the Year Curlin ran second to Java's War in the Blue Grass Stakes (gr. 1) to earn the points for his Derby reservation. Palace Malice is also owned by a patrician of the thoroughbred world — Cot Campbell, of Dogwood Stable.

Den's Legacy is the fourth member of this quartet, and he holds a special place for Brennan and his wife Stephanie.

“He was bred by Stephanie and Gaye Swartz, and we sold him as a foal,” Brennan said. “Dennis Swartz, Gaye's husband and longtime client of the Brennans, loved the foal, but died shortly after the foal was born.

“We told the new owners that story, and they named the horse Den's Legacy in honor of Dennis.

“He danced every dance. Save for the Arkansas Derby, he finished first, second or third in every race.”

While Brennan is proud of the exceptional situation of having four horses of this caliber come off the farm in one year, he is more proud of his overall record and the staff that has been instrumental in building these accomplishments.

“It is satisfying and it feels rewarding for the program, a sense of pride for our whole organization and staff,” he said. “Our motto says, ‘Success is not an accident.' We take a lot of pride in that.

“It is not just the horses we sell, but the client horses we develop for the racetrack. We are lucky to have the great clients we have. It is a privilege to have those kind of clients. They are not interested in winning 4 1/2-furlong races. They are interested in developing these horses to be good at three and older. Getting the horses into the right hands, like trainer Shug McGaughey, that is a big part of it.”

McGaughey is the trainer of Orb. Brennan said that Orb was a little slow to come around, but Shug said he turned from a teenager to a man this winter in South Florida.

“Revolutionary was very athletic and refined, more like a wide receiver than a linebacker,” Brennan said. “We were able to go on with him as a two-year-old and sold him to Winstar.”

“We gave Palace Malice more time,” Brennan said. “We picked Keeneland for him, and he performed beautifully on the track. Cot Campbell bought him. He is only a May foal and still has a future.”

“I am proud of our record. It speaks for itself. I feel proud of the staff and the horses we've had. We've had countless stakes winners, more than 15 grade-one winners.”

In other business, I need to correct an embarrassing error in last week's column when I named Normandy Invasion the winner of the Wood Memorial, which was won by Verrazano. It made me the only human or horse able to get the undefeated Verrazano beaten to this point in his career.

<p>Longtime fixture in the Ocala training and sales scene Niall Brennan appears to have three graduates of his program headed to the Kentucky Derby on May 4. A fourth graduate of his training operation, Den's Legacy, had been a prominent contender for the Derby since late last year. In the last couple of days, the Daily Racing Form removed him from its Top 20.</p><p>Topping the star-studded Brennan contingent is one of the most likely favorites: Florida Derby (gr. 1) winner Orb, owned by the historic partners Stuart S. Janney III and the Phipps Stable. These families have been responsible for such legendary horses as Ruffian and Bold Ruler.</p><p>Orb, a son of a son of leading stallion A. P. Indy, is second on both the Daily Racing Form and The Blood-Horse rankings.</p><p>Revolutionary, another Brennan graduate, tops The Blood-Horse list and is fourth on the Daily Racing Form top 20. A son of the now-deceased War Pass, Revolutionary made a spectacular run from the back of the field to win the Louisiana Derby (gr. 2), setting him up for his run for the roses. Revolutionary is owned by Winstar Farms, a major player in today's thoroughbred world.</p><p>Third among Brennan Derby products is Palace Malice. Sixth on Steve Haskin's Blood-Horse standings and 11th in the DRF, this son of Horse of the Year Curlin ran second to Java's War in the Blue Grass Stakes (gr. 1) to earn the points for his Derby reservation. Palace Malice is also owned by a patrician of the thoroughbred world — Cot Campbell, of Dogwood Stable.</p><p>Den's Legacy is the fourth member of this quartet, and he holds a special place for Brennan and his wife Stephanie.</p><p>“He was bred by Stephanie and Gaye Swartz, and we sold him as a foal,” Brennan said. “Dennis Swartz, Gaye's husband and longtime client of the Brennans, loved the foal, but died shortly after the foal was born.</p><p>“We told the new owners that story, and they named the horse Den's Legacy in honor of Dennis.</p><p>“He danced every dance. Save for the Arkansas Derby, he finished first, second or third in every race.”</p><p>While Brennan is proud of the exceptional situation of having four horses of this caliber come off the farm in one year, he is more proud of his overall record and the staff that has been instrumental in building these accomplishments.</p><p>“It is satisfying and it feels rewarding for the program, a sense of pride for our whole organization and staff,” he said. “Our motto says, 'Success is not an accident.' We take a lot of pride in that.</p><p>“It is not just the horses we sell, but the client horses we develop for the racetrack. We are lucky to have the great clients we have. It is a privilege to have those kind of clients. They are not interested in winning 4 1/2-furlong races. They are interested in developing these horses to be good at three and older. Getting the horses into the right hands, like trainer Shug McGaughey, that is a big part of it.”</p><p>McGaughey is the trainer of Orb. Brennan said that Orb was a little slow to come around, but Shug said he turned from a teenager to a man this winter in South Florida.</p><p>“Revolutionary was very athletic and refined, more like a wide receiver than a linebacker,” Brennan said. “We were able to go on with him as a two-year-old and sold him to Winstar.”</p><p>Multiple Eclipse Award-winning trainer Todd Pletcher is guiding Revolutionary's career for Winstar.</p><p>“We gave Palace Malice more time,” Brennan said. “We picked Keeneland for him, and he performed beautifully on the track. Cot Campbell bought him. He is only a May foal and still has a future.”</p><p>“I am proud of our record. It speaks for itself. I feel proud of the staff and the horses we've had. We've had countless stakes winners, more than 15 grade-one winners.”</p><p>In other business, I need to correct an embarrassing error in last week's column when I named Normandy Invasion the winner of the Wood Memorial, which was won by Verrazano. It made me the only human or horse able to get the undefeated Verrazano beaten to this point in his career.</p>